Like many Japanese pachinko parlors, Naomi Suzuki’s shop on the outskirts of Fukushima City was once full of energy, with the din of bouncing steel balls and garish lights flashing to indicate winnings. But business is quieter for her these days as her parlor’s clientele ages and drifts away. And with new restrictions on the […]
Japan’s pachinko industry braces for anti-addiction regulation Read More »
After a life dedicated to teaching, 75-year-old Koichi Kawata finally retired this year. It was supposed to be his time to relax after decades in the classroom. Now he’s contemplating how he will rebuild his life after devastating floods destroyed his home in the town of Mabi. “I’ve never seen a scene like this. I’m
Inside Japan’s worst flood-hit towns Read More »
Is there an emoji that represents your country? Say you’re British – or you’re not, but maybe traveling to the UK and texting a friend about it – why isn’t there a fish and chips emoji? Or one of Big Ben, a red phone booth, Stonehenge? Sure, there’s a Queen’s guard 💂, a cricket bat
Why are there so many Japanese Emoji Read More »
Emergency kits are a must-have in earthquake prone Japan, but a survey by The Japan Times has found that a number of people did not use theirs when a deadly quake rocked Osaka Prefecture and its vicinity in mid June. The June 18 quake, which affected 30 percent of the approximately 250 people who provided
How ready are you for Japan’s next big earthquake? Read More »
McDonald’s in Japan used to display on its menu: “Cost of a Smile: 0 Yen”—but new facial recognition software could cost some employees their jobs, especially in service industries, if the algorithm discovers they’re not smiling enough. This is just the latest wrinkle in a nation where karoshi (death by overwork) is a constant problem, and new labor
In Japan, Your Smile is Being Recorded: Take This Job and Love It—Or Else Read More »
Cancer was the leading cause of death among Japanese in 2016, followed by heart disease and pneumonia, according to a Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare report. Ever since 1947, when data began to be regularly kept, cancer has had a steadily rising death rate—calculated in the statistics as the number of deaths per 100,000
Cancer Remains Leading Cause of Death in Japan Read More »
English proficiency of students at Japanese public junior and senior high schools is improving but remains well behind government targets, an education ministry survey showed Friday. Aiming to enhance students’ English ability ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the government has set targets for results in the Eiken Test in Practical English Proficiency, which assesses
Japan high school English proficiency falls short of gov’t targets Read More »
Japan’s trains, including local commuter systems and longer-distance routes that span most of the country, are frequent objects of admiration for their speed, efficiency, and almost excessive timeliness. The system’s overall effectiveness depends in large part on Japan’s unique geography and some very smart alignment between transportation and real estate planning. But on a day-to-day (or minute-to-minute) basis,
These Subtle Psychological Hacks Keep Japan’s Trains Running Smoothly Read More »
A Japanese monk is suing his temple, claiming he was forced to work non-stop catering to visiting tourists and that the heavy workload gave him depression, his lawyer said on Thursday. The monk in his forties is seeking 8.6 million yen ($78,000) from his temple on Mount Koya, a World Heritage Site also known as Koyasan
Japan has overtaken Singapore in the global ranking for the most powerful passport, according to the latest update released by the Henley Passport Index on Wednesday (May 23). The Japanese passport now offers its citizens visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a record 189 destinations. The Singapore passport is in second place, tied with Germany, with a total
Japan passport overtakes Singapore’s as world’s most powerful in latest Henley index Read More »
